ConAgra, General Mills, Kellogg, Nestle, Heinz and Hillshire Brands knock heads every single day at grocery stores across America. But the companies have joined forces for a new campaign that seeks to revive sluggish frozen-food sales.

The three-year, $30 million effort is called "Frozen. How Fresh Stays Fresh" and seeks to portray freezing "as nature's pause button." McCann is the lead creative agency.

The companies first began plotting the strategy about a year ago under an umbrella group called the American Frozen Food Institute. As Ad Age reported in April of 2013, the original brief sought proposals to help frozen food marketers overcome negative perceptions perpetuated by competing foods. The document cited Wendy's "fresh, never frozen" tagline as one example.

The campaign will include TV, digital and print ads, according to a statement issued Tuesday by the American Frozen Food Institute, which represents food makers, distributors and retailers. The coalition behind the campaign includes a total of 11 companies, according to the campaign web site.

"Keeping food fresh is what freezing is all about," said the group's president and CEO, Kraig Naasz, in a statement, adding that the group is "excited to talk with consumers about the many benefits of frozen food."